Machine for the continuous pouring of steel



10 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. S. BOITCHENKO ETAL MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL April 2, 1968 Original Filed Jan. 9, 1965 A ril 2, 1968 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,862

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL Original Filed Jan. 9, 1965 10 Sheets-$heet F) H H II [III/111] v IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA April 2, 1968 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,362

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL Original Filed Jan. 9, 1963 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,862 MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL 1O Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Jan. 9, 1963 M f M Wfi/Z/ 7 v/ WV/ A ril 2, 1968 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL ,3

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Jan. 9, 1963 April 9 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,862

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL Original Filed Jan. 9, 1963 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 A ril 2, 1968 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,862

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL l0 Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed Jan. 9, 1965 April 1968 M. s. BOITCHENKO ETAL 3,375,862

MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL l0 Sheets-$heet Original Filed Jan. 9, 1965 Fig.9

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MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL Original Filed Jan. 9, 1963 Fig."

10 Sheets-Sheet 1O United States Patent 3,375,362 MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS POURING OF STEEL Mikhail Stepanovitch Boitchenko, Veniamine Veniaminovitch Foulmakht, Victor Savelievitch Routese, Victor Serguevitch Pravdine, Gneorgny Romanovitch Kol'otkov, Alexandre Stepanovitch Kaouchansky, Alexandre Nicolaevitch Chabanov, and Victor Alexandrovitch Karpelra, Moscow, U.S.S.R., assignors to Centralny Naoutchno-Issledovatelsky Institnt Tchornoy Metallourgiy I. P. Bardine and Sojuzny Proektny Institut Stalproekt, both of Moscow, U.S.S.R., body corporates of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Continuation of application Ser. No. 250,437, Jan. 9, 1963. This application Apr. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 546,462 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 12, 1962, 884,716; Nov. 5, 1962, 914,414 1 Claim. (Cl. 164-455) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Machine for the continuous casting of metal which comprises a first ladle receiving the metal to be poured, a second ladle receiving the metal poured from the first ladle and a cooled ingot mould receiving metal poured from the second ladle. A first device sensitive to variations of the Weight of metal in the second ladle and a second device sensitive to changes in the surface level of the poured metal in the ingot mould are, respectively and separately, operatively connected to stoppers located in the bottom of the first ladle and the second ladle so that the pour of flow from the first ladle into the ingot mould via the second ladle is continuously controlled in order to maintain the level of metal in the ingot mould substantially at the same level during the pouring operation.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 250,437, filed January 9, 1963, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a machine for continuously pouring steel comprising below the main pouring ladle, at least one intermediate ladle for supplying the liquid metal to cooled ingot moulds so as to form therein ingots which are stripped by means of dummy or false ingots previously introduced into the ingot moulds by sets of extracting rollers and, after a second cooling, are cut into sections of given length by cutting blowpipes.

The invention provides a machine which has enhanced operational stability and safety and improved output and economical qualities relative to known machines.

According to the invention, the machine for continuously pouring steel comprises devices which are responsive to variations in the weight of the intermediate ladle in the course of change in the level of the metal contained therein so as to control automatically the flow of the liquid metal from the main ladle to the intermediate ladle, and devices for automatically maintaining the level of the metal in the ingot moulds by regulating the fiow of the metal from the intermediate ladle to said ingot moulds.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description, with reference to the accompanying drawings to which the invention is in no way limited.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an improved machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the devices for automatically regulating the levels of the metal in the intermediate ladle and in the ingot moulds;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional and plan views respectively of the intermediate ladle placed on a rotating and raising table;

3,375,862 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 ICC FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the ingot mould;

FIG. 6a is a diagrammatic view of improved second ting blowpipe;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the introduction of the dummy in the set of extracting rollers;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the removal of the last ingot section from the machine, and

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the operation of the cutter.

With reference more particularly to FIG. 1, the machine for continuously pouring steel is supplied with liquid metal from a main pouring vessel or ladle 1 which supplies the liquid metal to a lower intermediate pouring vessel or ladle 2 which in turn distributes this metal to the ingot moulds of the machine one of which moulds is indicated by the reference character 3. In the Water-cooled ingot moulds 3 the metal, subsequent to removal of heat therefrom through the Walls, crystallizes and forms an ingot. The thus-formed ingots are withdrawn or stripped from the ingot moulds by means of false ingots or dummies 4 (FIG. 9) which are previously introduced therein and constitute the bottom of the ingot mould. The extraction of the dummy and the ingots is effected by sets of extracting rollers generally indicated by the reference character 5. During their extraction from the ingot moulds the ingots pass through devices 6 in order to undergo a second cooling which insures the necessary removal of the heat from the ingot and thus the perfect crystalliation thereof.

In the machine according to the invention, the flow of the liquid metal from the pouring ladle 1 into the intermediate ladle 2 and from the latter into the ingot moulds 3 is automatically regulated as a function of the position of the level of the metal in the intermediate ladle 2 and in the ingot mould 3. The determination of the level of the metal in the intermediate ladle is obtained by weighing the latter with the molten metal. A change of position of the level of the metal in the intermediate ladle results in a variation in the total weight of the latter.

For this purpose the ladle 2 is mounted on devices 7 (FIG. 2) of the stress gauge type, for example elastic,

magnetsoelastic, capacity, induction, piezoelectric, semiconductor or like gauges. If the level of the metal in the intermediate ladle 2 departs from the limits of the defined zone the devices 7 emit a signal which is sent through the medium of an electronic or semiconductor regulator 8, to an actuating device 9 which in turn acts on an obturating device or stopper 10 of the main pouring ladle 1, thereby raising or lowering the latter, depending on the direction in which the level of the liquid metal departs from the limits of said defined zone.

According to the invention the actuating device can consist of a mechanical, electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, pneumohydraulic, electromechanical or electropneumohydraulic device. The stopper 10 has an air-cooled stem.

The stress gauges 7 are advantageously disposed on a table 18 supporting the intermediate ladle.

For the purpose of continuously measuring the level in the mould 3 detectors are used in accordance with the invention which are located in a housing 11 and are, for example, of the photoelectric, ultrasonic, capacity or radioactive isotope type. The housing 11 containing for example a radioactive source, can beinstalled inside the mould 3 or placed outside the latter. The radiation of the radioactive source defines the fixed zone for the variations in the level of the metal in the mould.

*If the level of the metal in the mould 3 departs from the defined zone a counter 12, actuated by the detector, emits a signal which is sent through the medium of an electronic or semiconductor regulator 13, to an actuating device 14 which can be one of the aforementioned types mentioned in respect of the device 9. The device 14 in turn acts on a stopper 15 provided for the intermediate ladle 2 and of the same type as the aforementioned stopper 10. Control panel apparatus 16 show the level of the metal in the ladle and in the mould.

In order that the liquid metal uniformly fill the entire section of the ingot mould, two nozzles 1'7 (FIG. 3) are disposed in the intermediate ladle 2; the metal is poured into each mould through these nozzles which permit filling the mould in a regular manner. During the pouring the nozzles can be heated, for example electrically.

The intermediate ladle 2 is mounted on the table 18 which is so constructed as to be capable together with the ladle of moving in height, in the lateral direction or turning. Thus the machine according to the invention makes it possible to act on the quality of the ingot by a means in addition to the conventional means which are the rate of pour, the secondary cooling rate and the pouring temperature. This means is the regulation of the height of fall of the jet of metal entering the ingot mould from the intermediate ladle. It is on this height, regulated by the raising or lowering of the assembly constituted by the table 18 and the ladle 2, that the depth of penetration of the jet in the liquid phase of the ingot in course of crystallization and the nature of the metal currents in the mould depend. The ability of the intermediate ladle to move vertically makes it possible to select an optimum pouring rate for each type of steel and to act on the quality of the; surface and internal structure of the cast ingot.

Owing to the fact that the table is able to move in height it is possible to clean the nozzles 17 by calcination with oxygen and thus remove the solidified metal which is liable to close them. This displacement of the table also permits observing the meniscus of the metal in the mould and the lubrication of the walls thereof and removing the slag on the surface of the metal. The rotation of the table 18 together with the intermediate ladle 2 about the vertical axis permits at the end of pouring, pouring the slag into slag ladles 19 (FIG. 4) located near the ingot moulds 3. The raising and lowering of the table 18 can be accomplished, for example, by means of a hydraulic control device which is diagrammatically shown at 20 (FIG. 3) and its rotation can be obtained by means of an electric control device 21 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

Owing to the removal of the heat of the liquid metal through the walls of the cooled mould 3, the liquid metal crystallizes into an ingot of required section. In the machine according to the invention assembled ingot moulds 3 (FIG. 5) are employed which comprise two wide lateral Walls 22 which are mounted on support plates 22a interconnected by two wide cross-members 23; and two narrow walls 24, namely a forward and a rear wall, which bear against lugs (not shown) mounted on the lateral walls 22. Adjacent the cross-members 23 the narrow walls 24 are clamped by screwthreaded hubs or sleeves 25 and are put under tension by bolts 26 extending through these sleeves. Such a construction of the ingot mould permits disposing the narrow walls at an angle relative to the vertical axis of the mould, thus decreasing the rectangular effective section from the entrance to the exit of the mould.

The machine comprises a device for imparting to the ingot mould 3-whose effective cavity section can be previously regulated so as to vary along the height of the ingot mould-an axial to-and-fro movement at equal speeds in both directions. This device is shown diagrammatically at 3:1 in FIG. 1. The downward and upward speed of the ingot mould which is on the whole the same in both directions can advantageously vary in the course of the downward movement and in the course of the upward movement in accordance with a substantially sinusoidal law so that the ingot mould moves along a given section of the descent more rapidly than the ingot and at variable speed. By so displacing the ingot mould, the best operation thereof is achieved and adherence of the crust of the ingot to the walls of the mould avoided. It also reduces formations of folds on the surface of the ingot. The drive device for the ingot moulds comprises hydraulic or electromechanical means permitting this particular movement.

The complete crystallization of the ingot, in particular that of its central liquid part, takes place in the course of its second cooling after having left the ingot mould. For this second cooling of the ingot a device 6- (FIGS. 1, 6:1-6b) is employed which comprises sprayers 27 assembled along the length of the ingot in series 28 and 29. Each series has a separate control of the supply of water through the sprayers 27 onto the wide and narrow faces of the ingot. The sprayers of the series 28 undergo a pivotal movement about an axis located outside the ingot so that the jets of water produced thereby are able to uniformly cool the wide faces of the ingot, as shown in FIG. 6b. Thus, in the machine according to the invention there is provided respectively the regulation of the intensity and uniformity of the second cooling both along the faces of the ingot and along the entire height thereof. The importance of such an arrangement of the machine in the zone of the second cooling will be realized if it is considered that, for pouring rectangular ingots or slabs, a uniform distribution of water along the perimetre of the ingot must be accomplished while avoiding over cooling its edges, otherwise local cracks will appear in the ingot.

In order to protect the ingot against swelling under the action of the ferrostatic pressure of the liquid metal in its central part, the ingot is guided in the zone of the second cooling along its wide and narrow faces by freely rotative rollers 30 (FIGS. 1, 8, 9, and 10). It is in fact preferable to employ, instead of these rollers, guide rails 31 disposed along the ingot on the two wide lateral faces, as shown in FIG. 7. These guide rails can be split up into small segments in the height direction and provided with compensating springs 32. They can be cooled exteriorly, for example by employing jets of water from the pivotal sprayers 27 of the lateral series 28.

These guide rails can be advantageously displaced by means of drive devices in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ingot shown by the arrows f in FIG. 7 and be adapted for pouring ingots of different dimensions. The compensating spring 32 permit exerting an opposition to the ferrostatic pressure forces and the aforementioned devices also permit regulating the thrust of the rails on the ingot in accordance with the buckling or bending force of the wide faces of the ingot so as to prevent their swelling.

The ingot is withdrawn or stripped from the ingot mould by means of the dummy 4 introduced in the latter before the start of the pouring and forming the bottom of this mould. As the ingot is formed in the mould it becomes attached to the dummy and both are withdrawn from the mould by the set 5 of extracting rollers located under the rollers 30 or under the rails 31 of the second cooling zone. The set 5 has two pairs of drive cylinders or rollers 33 (FIG. 1); the cylinders of each side are mounted in pairs in bearings 34 pivoted to a fixed pin 35 supported by two levers 36 disposed on each side of the cage. Each pair of levers 36 located on one side of the cage 5 is rigidly connected by cross-members and is pivotable about fixed pins 37 supported by the main chassis. The ends of the levers 36 are pivoted to hydraulic control devices 38 by means of which it is possible to grip the dummy and the ingot through the medium of the cylinders 33. The levers 36 located on one side of the set 5 are connected to the rods 39 of the hydraulic control devices 38 whereas the levers 36 located on the other side of the cage are connected to the cylinders 40 of these devices, The mounting of the cylinders 33 in the rotary bearings 34 insures an automatic regulation of the cylinders and a uniform distribution of the working pressure therebetween. The set of extracting rollers is employed not only for withdrawing the dummy and stripping the ingot from the mould but also for introducing the dummy in the mould before pouring starts.

In the event of a breakdown due to a drop in the pressure in the hydraulic controls, an ingot-seizing device having an eccentric 41 located below the set 5 of extracting rollers enters into action and seizes the falling ingot.

The ingot displaced by the extracting rollers is severed into sections of given length by a blowpipe cutter in the course of its displacement. The blowpipe cutter comprises a carriage 42 suspended, by means of steel cables 43 extending round pulleys 44, from the rod of a hydraulic control device 45 which raises and lowers the carriage (see FIG. 1). The carriage 42 carries another carriage 46 with a shoe 47 pivoted to a cutter 48 (FIG. 11). The blowpipe cutter is provided with a clamping device 49, for example a hydraulic device which serves to attach it to the ingot during the cutting of the latter (FIG. 8) and to take hold of the last section of the ingot when it is extracted from the set of rollers (FIG. and to take hold of the dummy when it is introduced into the set of extracting rollers before pouring starts, (FIG. 9).

FIG. 8 shows the position of the blowpipe cutter at the moment of severing a section of ingot.

FIG. 9 shows the arrival of the dummy 4 on the table having rollers 50, its conveyance by means of a movable and turning carriage 51 to the clamping device 49 of the blowpipe cutter and then to the set of extracting rollers 5 for introduction into the ingot mould 3 before pouring starts.

The blowpipe cutter is so arranged that the cutter 48 gradually penetrates the ingot from one edge of the face and thereafter maintains a constant distance between the nose of the nozzle and the outer face of the ingot. For this purpose, the cutter is in the form of a lever pivotally and slidably mounted on a fixed spindle 48a by means of a fork 48b and it is pivoted to the shoe 47 of the carriage 46 which is moved along rectilinear guides 52 of the carriage 42 of the blowpipe cutter. The lever-cutter 48 is rotated by means of a control screw 53 which drives the carriage 46 and is controlled by a fixed copying apparatus 54 which insures the displacement of the nozzle of the cutter along the desired path relative to the ingot.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described, many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Machine for the continuous casting of metal comprising in combination:

a first ladle for receiving the metal to be poured, a

second ladle located below the first ladle for receiving the metal poured by the first ladle, and a cooled ingot mould located below the second ladle for receiving the metal poured therefrom and for forming an ingot from said metal;

a first means and a second means for respectively mechanically controlling the rate of pour from said first and second ladles, a first device responsive to variations in the weight of the second ladle and molten metal contained therein and operatively connected to said first means so that the first means causes the rate of pour of the first ladle to vary inversely as said weight, and a second device responsive to changes in the surface level of the poured metal in the ingot mould and operatively connected to said second means so that the second means causes the rate of pour of the second ladle to increase when said surface level drops below a given level in the mould and decrease when said surface level rises above said level, said second means consisting of a mechanical valve device providing an outlet passage of adjustable section at the base of the second ladle;

and means for severing the cast ingot, said severing means comprising a blowpipe cutter in the form of a lever pivotable about a fixed axis located at the opposite end to the nozzle of the blowpipe and cap-able of sliding transversely of said axis, said lever being pivoted to a shoe mounted on a carriage of the blowpipe, said shoe being controlled by copying apparatus so as to obtain a progressive penetration of the cutter into the ingot from an edge of the face thereof and maintain a constant distance between the nose of the nozzle and the surface of the ingot, means being provided for controlling displacement of the carriage on which said shoe is mounted so as to insure the rotation of said lever about said fixed axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,068,259 7/1913 Mesick 164-335 X 2,967,339 1/1961 Ma et a1. 164-335 X 3,125,440 3/1964 Hornak et al. 164-64 X 2,641,034 6/1953 Harter 164-450 2,753,605 7/1956 Carleton 164--155 2,905,989 7/1959 Black 164-155 3,143,776 8/1964 Ball 164-70 FOREIGN PATENTS 233,327 4/ 1961 Australia.

184,308 1/ 1956 Australia.

524,406 5/1956 Canada.

I SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. S. ANNEAR. Assistant Examiner. 

